As is well known in the equestrian field, a protective covering such as a blanket or pad (hereafter referred to as a saddle pad) is generally positioned between the back of a horse and a saddle to prevent the saddle from directly abrading the horse's hide. Typically, the saddle pad extends downward along the sides of the horse, and a large portion thereof is visible under the saddle. As such, many equestrian enthusiasts and professionals commonly utilize a saddle pad having a distinctive color scheme or design to identify their affiliation with a particular horse club or the like.
Conventional saddle pads generally include a first side which is designed to be secured against the underside of a saddle and a second, opposing side, which is adapted to be placed directly against the back area of a horse. Typically, the first side of the saddle pad includes a pair of permanently affixed and symmetrically disposed billet keepers for securing the saddle pad to the billets of a saddle. Analogously, the surface of the second side of the saddle pad is generally covered with a soft, comfortable, nonabrasive material, and is completely void of any attachments that may uncomfortably abrade the back area of the horse, potentially resulting in sores or other deleterious injuries. Consequently, to avoid injuring a horse, a saddle pad must always be worn with the billet keepers disposed on the outwardly-facing side thereof, adjacent the billets of the saddle.
Many equestrians are members of a plurality of horse clubs and/or participate in a wide variety of equestrian activities and, as such, oftentimes desire to vary the appearance of a saddle pad in accordance therewith. Unfortunately, due to the unipositional nature of conventional saddle pads, one must completely exchange saddle pads to alter the color scheme or design displayed under a saddle, thereby necessitating the purchase of a plurality of uniquely colored saddle pads.